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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29625216">The List</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBrightPlaces/pseuds/TheBrightPlaces'>TheBrightPlaces</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Orange is the New Black</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Bucket List, F/F, Fluff, Road Trip, Very Cheesy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:21:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,088</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29625216</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBrightPlaces/pseuds/TheBrightPlaces</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>With her friends leaving her behind for college, Lorna is at an all time low. She decides to go on a spontaneous trip to New York City with Nicky Nichols, completing a bucket list of epic proportions.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lorna Morello &amp; Nicky Nichols, Lorna Morello/Nicky Nichols</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Fairy Godmother of High School Debauchery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>*Causally writes another au and posts the entire thing in one night instead of working on current projects* </p><p>Whoops.</p><p>Anywho, this is really fluffy and cheesy and I hope you enjoy! Sorry if they're out of character!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>May 2000</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure you’re not mad?” Piper asked again, shoving her binder into her bag. </p><p>Lorna plastered on a happy smile and shook her head.</p><p>“‘Course not. You guys earned it. It’ll be a lot of fun!”</p><p>All of the seniors at Litchfield Prep who had been accepted into college were headed on a bus and off onto a 3 day long weekend of college tours. Lorna was the only one out of her friend group that hadn’t been accepted into any colleges. Even though she’d studied just as hard and even had Brook tutoring her three days a week, her grades could never measure up. </p><p>The last few weeks had been torture. Lorna had watched as each of her friends ran back from the mailbox, ripping at the big envelopes between excited shrieks and sobs. Piper and Polly had both gotten into Smith, of course. Which was no surprise. They were both incredibly smart and like two peas in a pod. Brook had gotten into Columbia, and with every letter, every happy announcement, every sleepover that was dominated by chatter about dorms and moving, Lorna plastered on that happy smile. She joined her friends in their shrieks of delight and listened to them talk about RAs and classes and schedules, all while trying not to think about her own life falling apart before her very eyes.</p><p>It wasn’t her friends’ faults, of course. They couldn’t help that they got accepted and she didn’t. But it still stung. It stung when they all got together to gush over campuses and didn’t invite Lorna. They were all leaving her behind. She’d stay in Litchfield and probably work at some shitty 24 hour diner and get less and less phone calls from them. They’d forget about her. Replace her. </p><p>Lorna cried herself to sleep more times then she’d like to admit.</p><p> </p><p>“You’ll have a fun weekend too, Lorn!” Polly said, shouldering her bag. “Maybe Franny’ll be off and you two could have a movie marathon or something!”</p><p>Lorna doubted it, but nodded anyway, her smile growing.</p><p>“I hope so! Maybe we can go see that new movie that’s playing. The one with Minnie Driver.”</p><p>“<em> Return to Me! </em>” Brook interjected, putting her hair into a ponytail. “We’ll call you from the hotel. Better tell us all about it!”</p><p>Lorna promised she would and watched as her friends filed out of the cafeteria, suitcases rolling behind them. They merged with the stream of other college bound seniors and, soon, the cafeteria was quiet. Only a handful of students remained. Near the front sat the army bound kids, Lorna recognized John Bennet and some blonde girl from her history class. They had army brochures spread out on the table and were all yelling over one another. A cluster of Spanish girls sat by the windows doing each other’s makeup and the back tables were home to the stoner kids. And then there was Lorna, smack dab in the middle of the room, completely alone.</p><p>Lorna glanced at the clock. It was 2:34. With over half the school loading buses and shipping out, it seemed pointless for the others to stay for the rest of the school day. But Lorna had already heard some of the Spanish girls nagging the teacher watching over them, Mr. Healy, about getting out early, and it didn’t seem like it was going to happen. With a sigh, Lorna put her head on the table.</p><p>“Well this is a surprise.” A rough voice said. Lorna lifted her head to see Nicky Nichols climbing up and sitting on top of her table. “Secondary education not your cup o’ tea?”</p><p>Lorna knew Nicky, but they weren’t exactly friends. Lorna sat behind her in Political Studies and their main interaction was Lorna kicking under Nicky’s desk to wake her up before Mr. Caputo noticed and started in on her. Nicky always thanked Lorna with a lopsided grin and sliding her a piece of strawberry gum after class. She’d also heard wild rumors about the crazy haired girl. Everything from getting caught having sex (with a girl!) on the roof to going to rehab over the summer for drugs.</p><p>She had quite the reputation.</p><p>Lorna shrugged, putting her head back down. She wasn’t in the mood to talk or be made fun of. Nicky was here, too, which meant she obviously didn’t have any grand plans for her future. Graduation was a week away and, with her friends abandoning her, Lorna had never felt so low.</p><p>“Eyy, chin up, kid. If worse comes to worse you can go chat with McCullough over there. You’d look hot in army fatigues.”</p><p>Lorna lifted her head up again, but only to shoot daggers at the other girl. </p><p>“What about you?” Lorna asked, propping her head up with her hand. “No college for the infamous Nichols?”</p><p>Nicky put a hand to her chest. “Infamous? Wow, I’m flattered.” </p><p>She then blew curls out of her face and sighed. </p><p>“Nah, school just isn’t for me.” She answered. </p><p>Lorna was suddenly mad. She knew Nicky came from a wealthy family. Though the other girl had never said so outright, her clothes were obviously name brand and the car that dropped her off every morning cost more than Lorna’s entire house. So Nicky didn’t have to rely on studying to get into a good school. She could’ve just paid her way and been sitting on that bus now, on her way to tour Smith or NYU. But no. Here she sat, choosing to stay behind.</p><p>“It’s such bullshit.” Lorna grunted, folding her arms. “If I would’ve known studying wasn’t going to work, I would’ve actually <em> enjoyed </em> high school. Ya know, done all the cool things teenagers do in movies.”</p><p>At that, Nicky slid off the table and took a seat beside Lorna.</p><p>“Is that so? Like what?” Nicky asked, a mischievous glint in her eye.</p><p>“I dunno.” Lorna replied. “Like….skip school.”</p><p>Nicky waited a beat before bursting into laughter. Mr. Healy shot them a glare and Nicky held up her hands in surrender before returning her attention to Lorna.</p><p>“Well, aren’t you a badass?” She teased, an amusing grin spreading across her face. “Nah, you can do better than that.”</p><p>Nicky reached over and took the binder by Lorna’s arm and tore out a page. She fished around her pocket and produced a pen.</p><p>“Here,” She said, sliding the objects over to Lorna. “Write down everything you would’ve done if you hadn’t had your nose in a book for four years.”</p><p>Lorna took the pen hesitantly. “Like a bucket list?”</p><p>“Yeah, a bucket list.” Nicky responded, popping a piece of gum in her mouth. “No need to keep it PG, either.”</p><p>Lorna stared at the blank page and tried to think of what to write. She’d spent all of high school holed up in libraries and Piper’s room, studying osmosis and oligarchies as if her life depended on it. She had no idea what all the other kids were up to. Glancing over at Nicky and receiving a grin, Lorna got to work.</p><p> </p><p>“Done!” Lorna announced after about ten minutes. She hadn’t been able to think of much, to be honest. She thought back to all of the teen movies and scribbled down some things she’d seen that looked cool.</p><p>“‘Bout time! Lemme see.” Nicky said, sliding the list over to herself. </p><p>The list read:</p><ul>
<li>Go to New York </li>
<li>See fireworks</li>
<li>Go to a club</li>
<li>Get drunk</li>
<li>Eat at a fancy restaurant </li>
<li>Go skinny dipping </li>
</ul><p> </p><p>Nicky glanced at Lorna with a raised eyebrow. </p><p>“Okay, well, first of all, you already live in New York, doll.”</p><p>“I meant the <em> city </em>.” Lorna corrected, breaking out into a huge smile. “With all those buildings and sights and, oh, the Edge! I wanna go stand on the Edge.”</p><p>Nicky nodded, scanning the list again.</p><p>“Well, luckily for you, this is all like 8th grade level shit. So we could easily do it in three days.”</p><p>Lorna froze, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.</p><p>“W-what? What do you mean?” She stuttered. Nicky’s grin only grew.</p><p>“All your friends are goin’ off on a three day adventure.” Nicky said, wiggling the list. “How ‘bout you do the same?”</p><p>Lorna thought about all the things on the list. She’d never imagined actually <em> doing </em> any of those things. It was just a fun little game to pass the time. But Nicky looked completely serious and it made Lorna’s stomach flutter.</p><p>“But, why would you come?” Lorna asked. “What do you get out of it?”</p><p>Nicky shrugged, glancing back at the tables of stoners. </p><p>“Well, my only friend ditched me for the college life too, so I don’t have anything better to do. I got a shit ton of cash and what could be more fun than corrupting an impressionable youth?”</p><p>“I’m not impressionable.” Lorna shot back, yanking the list out of Nicky’s hands.</p><p>“Look, kid,” Nicky said, “You deserve to have a little fun, alright? Just think of me as your Fairy Godmother of High School Debauchery.” </p><p>Lorna looked over the list again. It honestly wasn’t going to take much to convince her. With her friends leaving her and high school practically over, what did she have to lose? Why not let loose and go on a wild adventure with a stranger? </p><p>“I see that smile.” Nicky observed, cocking a grin of her own. “Is that a yes?”</p><p>“What about your parents?” Lorna asked, brows knitted together. “Won’t they freak out about the money and being gone for days?”</p><p>Nicky laughed at that. Actually laughed and leaned back with a sigh.</p><p>“Look, I don’t wanna get into the dirty details, but just know my parents don’t give a rat’s ass. It’ll be fine.” Nicky looked to Lorna. “What about yours?”</p><p>Lorna shrugged. Her mother was bed bound and her father was at work more often than not. Franny was the main mother figure to both Lorna and their brother, Mikey, but she’d been so busy with her second child that Lorna being gone for three days would probably be a good thing.</p><p>“I’ll tell my sister I’m going on the college tour.” Lorna suggested, “She’s seen me studying with Brook and them enough to believe it.”</p><p>Plus Lorna hadn’t told her family that she’d been rejected from all of the colleges. The rejection letters were stuffed into a trash can a few blocks away from her house. Ripped to shreds and damp with tears.</p><p>Nicky smiled and slapped both hands on her thighs.</p><p>“Fuckin’ A, kid! Sounds like a plan!”</p><p>Butterflies swarmed in Lorna’s stomach again. She was actually <em> doing </em> this. She was running off to New York City for a four day weekend with Nicky Nichols. It was absolutely insane.</p><p>“Of course, I’m gonna add some things to your list.” Nicky said, taking the paper back and folding it. “Gotta spice it up a little.” </p><p>“Isn’t skinny dipping spicy enough?” Lorna argued in a hushed whisper even though no one was close enough to overhear them.</p><p>“Oh, please,” Nicky said, running a hand through her hair. “What are you, 12?”</p><p>“And a half.” Lorna shot back, earning an ear to ear grin from the other girl.</p><p>Lorna shared her smile. It felt good to just be herself and let loose. She loved her friends, yeah, but they were loud and talked a lot and Lorna’s voice usually got lost in the mix. They didn’t know just how sarcastic or witty or sassy she could be. They just knew quiet Lorna. Lorna who smiled and nodded and gushed over rom coms. </p><p>“Eyy, you wanna enhance your badassery skills?” Nicky asked, leaning in. Her wild curls got in Lorna’s face and the other girl brushed them away.</p><p>“Whatddya mean?”</p><p>Nicky glanced at the clock, to Mr. Healy, and back to Lorna.</p><p>“There’s only 6 minutes until the bell rings. If you stand up right now and march out, it’ll take fat ass over there an hour to notice, let alone come after you. Then you’d officially be skipping school.” </p><p>“Skipping school 6 minutes before the bell?” Lorna asked, rolling her eyes. “How badass.”</p><p>“5 minutes now, Chatty Cathy.” Nicky whispered with a devilish smirk. “What’ll it be? Don’t you wanna start this weekend on the right note?”</p><p>Lorna quickly shoved her binders and notebooks in her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She’d never been a bad kid. Never broken a rule or talked back. But fuck it. Piper and Brook and Polly were leaving her. Life was going to be shit from here on out, so, fuck it.</p><p>“Fuck it, right?” Lorna whispered, shooting a glance at Nicky.</p><p>“Fuck it.”</p><p>Lorna casually got to her feet and walked around the table, headed to the back entrance. She didn’t look back. Not at the clock or Nicky or Mr. Healy. She didn’t hear anyone yelling after her, so she continued her stride to the back cafeteria doors. This was easy. She was feeling good.</p><p>That was, of course, until she stepped on a chip bag and went sprawling on her face.</p><p>There was a full five seconds of dead silence before three things happened all at once.</p><ol>
<li>Mr. Healy asked “What are you doing over there, Ms. Morello?”</li>
<li>Footsteps came running toward her followed by wild laughter.</li>
<li>Lorna scrambled to her feet and made an ungodly squeaky noise before running completely out of the building.</li>
</ol><p> </p><p>Red faced and breathing hard, Lorna immediately hid behind the bushes that lined the back doors. She expected Mr. Healy to burst through the exit at any minute, ready to grab her by her backpack and drag her to Mrs. Figueroa’s office. Instead, Nicky slammed through the double doors, the sound of the bell ringing echoing behind her. </p><p>Lorna popped up from behind the bushes and Nicky immediately caught her eye, throwing her head back in laughter.</p><p>“Holy shit, kid.” She wheezed, holding her sides. “You suck at being a badass.”</p><p>Lorna walked over to her, arms crossed. “Well I made it, didn’t I?”</p><p>“You did, indeed.” Nicky said, reaching over and untangling a leaf from Lorna’s hair. “You officially skipped school.”</p><p>Lorna smiled proudly as students exited the building, headed to cars and buses and ready to get their weekends started. </p><p>A short, heavy set girl suddenly approached them, giving Nicky a mischievous grin.</p><p>“Finally hit that, Nichols?” The girl asked, flicking a glance Lorna’s way. “She’s pretty high on the list.”</p><p>Lorna looked at Nicky, confused, but Nicky was already waving the other girl away.</p><p>“Fuck off, will ya, Boo? Me and the kid’s got scheming to do.” Nicky said, slinging an arm around Lorna’s shoulders and leading her to the car line.</p><p>“List? What was she talking about?” Lorna asked. Did she mean their bucket list? But how did she know about it? And by the way she was talking, it didn’t sound like any kind of list Lorna knew about.</p><p>“Don’t listen to Boo.” Nicky said, her arm still around Lorna’s shoulders. “Now, onto more important matters. Scheming.”</p><p>“I’ve never schemed.”</p><p>“Wow, shocker.” The other girl deadpanned. She dropped her arm and turned to face Lorna.</p><p>“Okay, so go on home and fill your sister in. Tell her you won’t be back until Sunday night. Get a bag or just your backpack and pack some clothes and shit.”</p><p>Lorna nodded, her heart still beating fast from her school skipping fiasco. </p><p>“Grab your sister’s ID if you can find it. It’ll make things a lot easier.” Nicky added.</p><p>“What? Why?”</p><p>Nicky gave her a look. “You wanna go to a club, don’t you? And I doubt you have a fake ID. Let’s just pray you look enough like you sister.”</p><p>“You have a fake ID?” Lorna asked, completely in awe.</p><p>Nicky smiled a ten watt smile. “Hell yeah. You’re in the presence of a professional delinquent.”</p><p>The two went over the plan again and agreed to meet at the bus station at 6:30 that night. As they parted ways, Lorna’s couldn’t wipe the smile off of her face.</p><p> It felt like her life was finally beginning.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Grade A Hooligan</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What are ya looking for?” </p>
<p>Lorna flew away from Franny’s purse like it was on fire. Thankfully she’d already pocketed her sister’s ID.</p>
<p>“Oh, uh, that new lipstick I got the other day? Did you take it?” Lorna asked, mentally patting herself on the back for such a smooth recovery.</p>
<p>“Hmm, which one? I did take that Cherries in the Snow one. It looks sexy as hell.” Franny said, already moving on from the conversation to Lorna’s relief. Her sister buzzed around the room, mumbling something about finding Tommy’s sippy cup.</p>
<p>Lorna had always been close to Franny. Growing up they were the best of buddies, painting each other's nails and jumping on the bed, singing Madonna songs at the top of their lungs. Things changed when their mother got sick and ended up bed ridden. Franny had to step up and it created a weird shift in their relationship. Then came the pregnancies and now Lorna felt like her and her sister were miles apart. </p>
<p>“Is Piper picking you up?” Franny asked offhandedly as Lorna tried to force the zipper of her backpack closed. </p>
<p>“Yep.” Lorna lied. “Then we’re all meeting at the school to catch the bus.”</p>
<p>“Sounds like it’ll be a really great time, Lorn.” Her sister said. She finally found Tommy’s sippy cup under a mountain of laundry and sighed.</p>
<p>“I’m just glad you’re gettin’ outta this shit hole.” Franny said, going over to Lorna with a small smile. “I always knew you was the smartest out of us all.”</p>
<p>Lorna couldn’t quite look her sister in the eye. Her chest felt heavy and she mentally begged herself not to cry. To just focus on the weekend to come. There would be no worries about college or jobs or the future. No worries about breaking the news to her family. That all could wait. </p>
<p>She had three glorious days until the world ended.</p>
<p>“Thanks, Fran.” Lorna said, suddenly giving her sister a hug. She hadn’t remembered the last time they’d hugged, which was odd. Franny hugged her back and kissed the top of her head, reminding her to call once they got to the hotel.</p>
<p>Lipstick reapplied, bag packed and nephews kissed, Lorna headed out, making sure Franny was good and busy and wouldn’t notice the lack of Piper outside their door. She walked to the bus stop with a spring in her step and her heart going crazy. Where were they going to sleep? A hotel? Would a hotel even let a couple of teenagers rent a room? Lorna was 18 and she was pretty sure Nicky was, too, but what if you had to be 21? Then again, maybe a swipe of Nicky’s credit card was all it was going to take. Oh, and the fake ID. But what if it didn’t work?</p>
<p>Lorna stopped herself. She wasn’t going to worry. Not about that or anything else. This weekend was going to be an unforgettable adventure and worry had no place in that.</p>
<p>Lorna approached the bus stop and spotted Nicky right away. The girl was sitting on a bench, earbuds in and smoking a cigarette. </p>
<p>“Eyy, looks like the scheming was successful!” Nicky said with a grin, popping out the earbuds and getting to her feet. </p>
<p>“Pretty flawless.” Lorna said with a proud smile. </p>
<p>Nicky stomped out her cigarette and shouldered her own backpack.</p>
<p>“The bus ride to the Big Apple is 4 hours, so I hope you packed some of those magazines you’re always reading.”</p>
<p>Lorna paused. How did Nicky know she read celebrity magazines? Well, it wasn’t like it was a secret. She always whipped them out in class or at lunch just for something to do. Lorna just hadn’t realized that Nicky was paying attention to her enough to notice a thing like that.</p>
<p>“‘O ‘course I did.” Lorna said, nodding to Nicky’s bag. “What about you?”</p>
<p>Nicky slung her bag off her shoulder and opened it, producing a handful of CDS.</p>
<p>“I got like 10 hours worth of music here, kid.” She said with a grin. “I’ll survive.”</p>
<p>They talked about music as they waited for the bus to arrive. Lorna leafed through Nicky’s CDs, only recognizing a few like Oasis and Nirvana. Lorna was busy defending her love of Christina Aguilera to notice the sun setting around them. It was a warm May night and Lorna felt more relaxed than she had in a long time.</p>
<p>A few more people joined them at the bus station and soon the bus itself arrived. Lorna stuck close to Nicky as they boarded and Nicky paid for their tickets. The other girl led them to seats in the back and they got settled.</p>
<p>“Excited?” Nicky asked, handing Lorna both an earbud and a piece of strawberry gum. Lorna accepted both with a big grin.</p>
<p>“Yeah! I can’t believe this is actually happening.” Lorna asked as the bus lurched forward. </p>
<p>Nicky stuck in a CD of some band Lorna didn’t recognize and the four hour ride began. Scenery flew by outside and Lorna leaned all the way across Nicky, practically pressing her face to the glass. She had gone through all of her magazines just by the first hour and resigned to just listening to music and shouldering Nicky out of the way any time there was something particularly interesting flying past their window.</p>
<p>By the third hour Lorna was busy trying to figure out how to comfortably lean her head back on the seat. That’s when Nicky interjected with, “You can lay your head on my shoulder, ya know. I’m not known for my bony shoulders.” And that’s how Lorna ended up riding out the rest of the bumpy ride with her head on Nicky’s shoulder and some rock band screaming in her ear.</p>
<p>She hadn’t even realized she’d dozed off until Nicky was shaking her awake.</p>
<p>“You’re missing all the good stuff, kid.” Nicky said, gesturing out the window. “The City of Dreams.”</p>
<p>Lorna practically climbed over Nicky’s lap to look out the window. It was just like she’d seen in all the movies and pictures. Streets bustling with people, even at such a late hour. Buildings so tall they disappeared into the night sky. Lorna couldn’t tear her eyes away, even when the bus came to a stop.</p>
<p>“C’mon.” Nicky said, trying to put her CD player and things back into her bag, which was a hard task with Lorna basically in her lap.</p>
<p>Lorna didn’t have to be told twice. Making sure she had everything, she practically ran off the bus. Stepping onto that concrete sidewalk was magical. Lorna was pretty sure her neck was going to be sore for weeks to come from always looking up. But she couldn’t help it. She’d never seen such tall buildings. Buildings of all shapes and sizes surrounded them. People filled the streets, dressed in everything from Gucci to rags, some talking on expensive mobile phones, some begging for quarters. </p>
<p>“This is amazing, Nicky.” Lorna breathed, turning to the other girl. She found that Nicky had already been watching her, an amused smile on her face. </p>
<p>“Yeah, it loses its novelty after a while, but I remember what it was like seeing it for the first time.” Nicky said, gesturing for Lorna to follow her. The two walked side by side down the bustling nighttime sidewalk.</p>
<p>“Geez, how many times have you been here?” Lorna asked. </p>
<p>Nicky took a minute to ponder the question.</p>
<p>“No idea, at least ten. My dad used to live here and I’d come sometimes during the summer.” Nicky said, shoving her hands in her pockets. “Of course, that was before he started fucking some bimbo and decided he didn’t want kids anymore.”</p>
<p>Lorna was quiet. She wasn’t quite sure what to say. Nicky’s home life obviously wasn’t the dream that Lorna had thought it was.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry. That sucks.” Lorna mumbled, shooting the crazy haired girl a glance.</p>
<p>Nicky shrugged and grinned. “Fuck him. We’re gonna have a great weekend, yeah? I hope you’re ready to upgrade your status to Grade A Hooligan.”</p>
<p>“I’ve always wanted to be a hooligan.” Lorna joked, earning a snort from the other girl.</p>
<p>They walked for a good ten minutes before Nicky stopped in front of a towering white building. The sign outside read Hawthorn Suites.</p>
<p>“Here we are! Let’s go get settled.” Nicky announced. </p>
<p>Lorna’s jaw hit the floor as they entered the building. The place was huge and immaculate. The lobby furniture looked like something straight out of a fancy magazine. Everything was shiny and expensive and Lorna found herself sticking closer to Nicky as they approached the counter.</p>
<p>“Good evening, ladies.” The man behind the desk said. “How can I help you tonight?”</p>
<p>Lorna glanced at Nicky, trying not to let her nervousness leak out and bled all over the place. Nicky held her head high, fishing around in her backpack.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I called about a room earlier.” She said, sliding two plastic cards the man’s way. Lorna recognized one as a credit card and the other as an ID of sorts. The man picked up the ID and looked it over, eyeing Nicky and the card and back again.</p>
<p>Lorna’s heart caught in her throat and she tried not to panic. What if he didn’t accept it? What if they had to sleep on the streets? </p>
<p>“Miss Vivian Ambromowitz?” The man asked, typing something into a pretty advanced looking computer. </p>
<p>Before Nicky could speak, the man handed her the ID back.</p>
<p>“You’re all set. I’ll need you to sign this and I’ll get your keys.” The man said, sliding the pair a paper and giving Nicky back her credit card. He then went to a big wall of keys, searching for theirs.</p>
<p>“Vivian Ambromowitz?” Lorna whispered, trying not to laugh too loud. “What kinda fake name is that?”</p>
<p>“Louder, why don’t ya?” Nicky shot back, scribbling her signature on the paper. “I don’t think he can hear you.”</p>
<p>The man came back and handed them two room keys, wishing them a good night. Lorna felt giddy, like they’d gotten away with something. Which, technically, they had.</p>
<p>Their room was on the 18th floor and, on the elevator ride up, Lorna learned that Nicky was afraid of heights, a fact that she wasn’t going to let the other girl live down anytime soon.</p>
<p>“What are you gonna do when we go to the Edge?” Lorna teased.</p>
<p>“Cry.”</p>
<p>“No, you won’t.”</p>
<p>“Watch me.”</p>
<p>Their room was beyond anything Lorna could’ve imagined. It had two massive Queen sized beds, a huge tv, and a bathroom that looked too immaculate to touch. Lorna slung her bag onto the bed closest to the window. Their view was out of this world. The buildings lit up the night sky and seemed to stretch on forever. </p>
<p>Lorna quickly called Franny on the hotel phone, letting her know that she made it in one piece. She then went over to her side of the room.</p>
<p>“And what do you think you’re doing?” Nicky asked as Lorna managed to free her pajama pants from her ultra stuffed bag.</p>
<p>“Uh, going to bed?” Lorna answered, glancing at the clock. It was going on midnight.</p>
<p>Nicky clicked her tongue. “That’s not a very hooligan thing to do.”</p>
<p>Lorna shrugged, hugging her pjs to her chest. “What are you gonna do?”</p>
<p>The other girl smiled and dug through her own bag, pulling out what looked to be a swimsuit.</p>
<p>“I’m going to go swim in the pool.” Nicky said, smiling growing. “That’s on the <em> roof </em>.”</p>
<p>Every ounce of tiredness drained out of the shorter girl’s body and she was soon digging through her own bag, her excitement bouncing off the walls.</p>
<p>“I’m coming too! Oh my god, on the <em> roof </em>?! That’s crazy! Imagine the view! Oh, geez, this is going to be so cool!” Lorna rambled on, finally finding her swimsuit and tripping over herself trying to get to the bathroom.</p>
<p>“Chill, kid.” Nicky said with a laugh. “It’s not goin’ anywhere.”</p>
<p>Soon they were both changed and walking barefoot down the plush carpeted hall. Lorna had on her favorite swimsuit, a white two piece with cherries on it. Very 50’s esque. Nicky simply had on a black two piece and Lorna had to admit that the other girl was very pretty.</p>
<p>Even though it was midnight, the pool wasn’t empty. A rowdy group of college aged kids occupied the deep end of the pool, which was fine and dandy with Lorna, who immediately went over to railing.</p>
<p>“Can you not stick your whole body over the side like that?” Nicky called over to her anxiously, causing Lorna to snicker. </p>
<p>“Why don’t you come over here and stop me?” She shot back.</p>
<p>That shut Nicky up and Lorna laughed, admiring the view. They were so high up. The elevator had taken them the whole way, all 28 stories. The city laid out before them, lights twinkling like stars. It was absolutely beautiful.</p>
<p> “You know how to swim?” Lorna asked Nicky as she returned to the pool. Nicky was going down the steps and into the water.</p>
<p>“Yeah. My nanny taught me when I was a kid. We had a pool.” Nicky answered, looking up to Lorna. “What about you?”</p>
<p>Lorna sat at the edge of the pool, dipping her feet and legs into the water.</p>
<p>“Nah. It doesn’t even seem that fun, anyway. All that flailing around. It’s not very classy.”</p>
<p>Nicky snorted and splashed Lorna with water. </p>
<p>Lorna watched Nicky swim around, and, eventually, the other girl convinced her to get into the water. Even though they were at the kiddie end of the pool, Lorna’s short legs could barely touch the bottom, much to Nicky’s amusement.</p>
<p>It was fun playing around in the pool at night. The city was all around them, alive and breathing and full of light. The college kids were playing music on a stereo and Lorna couldn’t stop smiling. She doggy paddled around and then had Nicky try to teach her to float. Nicky had her hands under Lorna’s head, her back, her legs. It felt nice. They smiled and laughed under the starless sky, Lorna eventually giving up and paddling back over to the steps. She climbed up and got a towel.</p>
<p>“Ready to call it a night?” Nicky asked, yawning. They’d been at it for at least an hour and a half and Lorna was pretty tired.</p>
<p>“Mhmm.”</p>
<p>Nicky climbed out and grabbed a towel for herself. The night was still warm, but had a slight chill to it after being in the water.</p>
<p>As they were walking back to the elevator, Lorna almost slipped on a puddle, reaching out and grabbing hold of Nicky’s arm.</p>
<p>“Damn,” One of the college guys whistled. “Wish you’d grab my cock like that, baby.”</p>
<p>Appalled, Lorna turned around, but, before she could do anything, Nicky was shooting the guy a sympathetic smile.</p>
<p>“Sorry.” She said sweetly, “We didn’t bring any tweezers.”</p>
<p>It took a beat for the comment to hit home. Lorna bursted out laughing and the two girls ran at full speed to the elevator, slamming the button to the 18th floor like their life depended on it. Lorna simply could not keep it together and Nicky wore a proud smile.</p>
<p>They stumbled into their room at 2 am, Lorna falling face first into the bed.</p>
<p>“I’m hungryyyyy.” Lorna whined into the mattress. “And tired!”</p>
<p>They ended up ordering a pizza from room service and sitting on Nicky’s bed, eating in their pjs. They watched some reality show while they ate, hair still damp and cheeks sore from smiling. Lorna finally crawled into her own bed and was out before Nicky even turned the light off. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Anyone catch a reference to another Natasha Lyonne movie in there? :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Mr. Snuffles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Lorna woke up at noon on Friday, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. She sat up and took a minute to remember where, exactly, she was. She was in the middle of New York City with a girl she’d barely exchanged ten words with before yesterday. No one knew where they were. Not Piper or Polly or Brook or Franny. The thought shot sent a shiver up Lorna’s spine, but she was quick to stomp it out. She looked over to Nicky who was still sound asleep. Curls everywhere, sprawled out on the bed and tangled in sheets, Lorna couldn’t help but smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna rolled out of bed and over to her bag, trying to quietly dig out an outfit. She was excited to try out the fancy shower. The showerhead was on the ceiling, causing the water to come down like a waterfall.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna took a pretty long shower, taking full advantage of all the hotel luxuries. There were a dozen different shampoos and body washes and they each smelled amazing. The bathroom came stocked with lotions and scrubs and even face masks. Lorna couldn't even begin to imagine how much all of this had to be costing a night. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She exited the bathroom in a cloud of steam and found Nicky laying on the bed, flicking through tv channels.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mornin’.” Nicky said, landing on some morning talk show and muting it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How’d you sleep?” Lorna asked with a smile, going over to the window.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like a baby.” Nicky replied, rolling out of bed. “I forgot how much swimming can tire you out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna nodded in agreement only for Nicky to knock her up side the head with a pillow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t even swim! You just flailed around, which wasn’t very classy at all, might I add.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna got her own pillow and whacked Nicky for that, sending the two into a full out pillow fight. Beds were leaped upon, bags were overturned, and the tv narrowly avoided crashing to the ground. It was a battle of epic proportions, only ending when Nicky mentioned breakfast.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky hopped in the shower (not before Lorna gave her one last whack) and then the two ate a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast on Nicky’s bed. They watched the muted talk show, making up silly things for the hosts to say. By the time it was all said and done, it was 3 in the afternoon and they were ready to hit the road.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s the plan?” Lorna asked as they stepped out of the hotel lobby. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a warm May afternoon and the streets were already busy. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, most of the things on your list are more like night time activities.” Nicky said as they walked. “So I guess we’ll just chill. It’s not like we can’t find anything to do.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pair walked the streets, Lorna squealing over every huge building or cute little side shop they passed. They popped in one and Nicky bought a disposable camera, ready to capture their adventures.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look, look!” Lorna beamed, running over to an outdoor art exhibit. The exhibit had different statues of zoo animals, everything from lions to penguins. For some reason Lorna went straight to the meerkats, ushering Nicky over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about ‘em?” Nicky asked, shading her eyes from the sun. “They’re rats.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna looked appalled. “They are </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> rats, Nicky! They’re meerkats! Look at ‘em standin’ just like little people!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna then proceeded to mimic how the critters were standing in a way that was both ridiculous and adorable, causing Nicky to snap a perfectly timed picture.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re such a dork.” Nicky said with a burst of laughter. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a shop near the animal exhibit that sold stuffed animals and Nicky ended up buying a meerkat one for Lorna. The critter sat in Lorna’s backpack as they continued their trek, arguing over names before settling on Mr. Snuffles. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They visited more shops, taking goofy pictures and making the most of it. The girls stumbled upon a cat café, which Lorna would simply not allow them to pass up. So they spent the afternoon eating banana nut muffins, sipping coffee, and playing with the kitties. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nibbles loves you so much!” Lorna squealed, taking a picture of Nicky. Nicky was sitting on one of the cafe’s beanbags, big fat orange cat on her lap and a muffin hanging out of her mouth. It was definitely the perfect picture.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, it’s not reciprocated, Mr. Nibbles.” Nicky said, trying to remove the feline. “You’re the wrong kind of pussy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop, Nicky!” Lorna scolded, “Don’t hurt his feelings!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky rolled her eyes and finally managed to stand up. She stretched and Lorna followed suit, glancing outside. The sun was setting and the sky looked absolutely breathtaking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my god, look at the sky! C’mon!” Lorna cheered, taking Nicky’s hand and dragging the other girl outside. Mr. Nibbles tried in vain to follow, but, alas, he was left behind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sky was mesmerizing. Pops of purple and pink swirled with the darkening clouds and Lorna couldn’t tear her eyes away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look at everyone.” Lorna suddenly said, finally looking at the people around them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sidewalk was packed as usual, men in suits and moms dragging behind screaming toddlers. Everyone was busy and had their heads down and it made Lorna sad.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They don’t even care about the sky.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky was quiet for a while as they looked at the darkening sky. The pinks and purples slowly melted into dark indigos.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Life gets busy, kid.” Nicky finally said. “You forget to look up sometimes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna watched a woman a little older than herself. She was walking fast and was dressed to the 9s, very wealthy and successful looking. But her face was blank. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t wanna to forget to look up.” Lorna said, her voice barely a whisper. She saw Nicky looking at her out of the corner of her eye. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky didn’t say anything. She merely ruffled Lorna’s hair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, kid.” She said after a while, taking Lorna’s hand. “We got a life to live.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you do kinda look like her!” Nicky said, holding up Franny’s ID to Lorna’s face. “It’ll probably work.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Probably</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Lorna asked, taking the ID back. “What if it doesn't?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky shrugged, glancing over to the club. The music was so loud that it was vibrating the ground under their feet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have my ways.” She said with a smirk, leading the way. “C’mon, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Franny</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Let’s get you shitfaced.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two joined the line of eager partygoers, Lorna’s heart going crazy. She was excited more than anything, but nervous, too. She’d obviously never been to a club and what she could see from the window that it looked wild in there. Neon lights were bouncing off every possible surface and people were jumping around, dancing like crazy. She could only imagine how it was going to be once they were inside and in the middle of it all. Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>if</span>
  </em>
  <span> they made it inside.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Give me your best serious face. No laughing or giggling or pink cheeks.” Nicky said, putting a hand on each of Lorna’s shoulders. “Pretend I’m the bodyguard.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna looked into those brown eyes, mustering up her best straight face. The two stared at each other as the neon lights flared and people yelled. Lorna started noticing little things, like the light freckles dusting the bridge of Nicky’s nose and just how deep brown her eyes were. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pounding music was muted. The people around them were nothing but background. Nothing else mattered. Nicky reached out, slowly tucking a stay piece of hair behind Lorna’s ear. Everything seemed to freeze. Lorna’s breath hitched in her throat and Nicky swallowed, her hand still behind Lorna’s ear. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The moment was broken by a voice calling out to them to move forward. Lorna flinched and Nicky stepped back, clearing her throat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is my serious face okay?” Lorna whispered as they moved up to the towering bodyguard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky took a second to compose herself before giving the girl a thumbs up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gonna ace it, kid.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna wasn’t so sure, but the line was moving regardless and soon they were face to face with an absolute giant of a man with a name tag reading Piscatella.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t even speak, merely grunted, which added to his giant-like nature.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A man of many words, I see.” Nicky asked with a snort, handing over her ID. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky was approved in seconds, being gestured into the building of flashing lights. She glanced back at Lorna with a thumbs up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, here.” Lorna squeaked, trying in vain to deepen her voice. She handed over Franny’s ID and mentally willed herself to look 5 years older.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Piscatella mountain man looked Lorna up and down and shoved the ID at her with a grunt. Lorna stood in place, looking from the ID to the giant to the entrance, trying to decode if that was a positive or negative grunt. She was suddenly being shoved forward into the deafening room, smiling ear to ear. Nicky was right there waiting for her and Lorna latched onto her arm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See! I knew ya could do it!” Nicky yelled over the noise.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Inside was wild. The place was packed with bodies jumping and dancing and knocking into everything. The music was unbelievably loud and Lorna was beginning to regret putting the club on her list. It was definitely one of those things that looked more fun than it was. That was, of course, until Nicky handed her a fancy looking drink.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You ever drink before?” Nicky asked into Lona’s ear. It tickled and Lorna shivered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna had tried a sip of wine before, but that was about it. She and Piper had been staying at Piper’s place for the weekend and they snuck into her parents’ wine cabinet. They only took a sip each before chickening out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna shook her head and watched as Nicky threw her head back, downing her drink. Lorna followed suit and instantly scrunched up her face. Whatever the drink was, it stung her throat and tasted slightly fruity. It wasn’t bad. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky handed her another and another, each one making her smile more and more. Suddenly the dance floor looked really appealing and Lorna totally understood why everyone was dancing like crazy. The music was practically begging to be danced to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come dance with me!” Lorna yelled, tugging on Nicky’s arm. They’d had the same amount of drinks, but Nicky was still steady on her feet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, alright.” Nicky said, taking Lorna’s hand. “But stay close to me, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna said she would and they made their way to the dancefloor. It was crowded and wild and Lorna had no choice </span>
  <em>
    <span>but</span>
  </em>
  <span> to stay close to Nicky. It was pretty much the only option.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She took both Nicky’s hands and started swinging them around, earning a laugh from the other girl.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You call that dancing?” Nicky asked, but Lorna didn’t hear her. She was too laughing and moving to the beat, completely lost in the music. Nicky pulled her closer and the two danced.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna found that she couldn’t stop touching Nicky. She wanted to touch her all the time. They danced and Lorna touched her for the hell of it, held her hands and up her arms and her waist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re very touchy when you’re drunk.” Nicky yelled over the music, her smile saying she definitely wasn’t complaining. Lorna closed her eyes, twirling around in circles. It wasn’t that she liked her or anything. She was just touchy with her friends. And that’s all they were. Friends.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But she didn’t remember wanting to touch Piper all the time. And lying side by side studying with Brook on her bed didn’t feel how it felt with Nicky. There was </span>
  <em>
    <span>something </span>
  </em>
  <span>there.  Something that made her hands want to wander and her eyes linger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna snapped her eyes open and steadied herself. Her brain was going in directions she wasn’t too fond of.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She took Nicky’s hand and they laughed, falling in with the dancing crowd again. They took a breather for more drinks and Nicky made Lorna chug water in between shots. Lorna was definitely drunk and the night was nothing but dancing and flashing colors. At some point Lorna had dragged Mr. Snuggles out of her bag and was trying to teach him the Cha Cha Slide, all the while Nicky attempted to take pictures that weren’t blurry from her laughing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They finally stumbled out onto the sidewalk at about around one in the morning. Lorna was having a pretty hard time walking in general, much less walking like a fully functioning human. Nicky had an arm securely around Lorna and was helping her not fall on her face, all the while listening to her rant.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s bullshit, Nicky! Why wouldn’t they let him? That’s not fair at all. I can’t believe it!” Lorna went on, Nicky trying not to laugh. Lorna was pissed off at the fact that the lovely staff of the club didn’t allow Mr. Snuffles to participate in karaoke. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I dunno, kid.” Nicky said, leading Lorna toward their hotel entrance. “Do you realize the raw power that Mr. Snuffles holds? Of course they didn’t let him! They were probably scared shitless.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before they entered the lobby, Lorna stopped, pulling Nicky to a stop, too. She looked up at the sky. Even though there were no stars, Lorna knew they were there. The sky was pitch black but she still didn’t want to miss it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m lookin’ up, Nichols.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A beat. A smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Never stop, kid.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is so cheesy, gah. I apologize. (I don't)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Light Me Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Saturday came with a headache so fierce that Lorna vowed never to drink again and spent the entire morning buried under the covers. She only left her fluffy cocoon when Nicky insisted she drink some water or gave her some Tylenol.</p><p>The light hurt her head even more and the hangover was the perfect excuse to hide away under the covers. But there was another reason.</p><p>It’s not like she was <em> avoiding </em> Nicky. Nicky hadn’t done anything. It was Lorna herself who had done it. Now sober as ever, Lorna couldn’t believe the things she’d thought about on the dance floor. How close they’d been and how Lorna’s hands had roamed as if they had a mind of their own. The very thought made Lorna never, ever want to leave her cocoon. </p><p>Lorna decided to chalk it up to the alcohol. The drinks had made her think those things and act that way. She had to dial it down on the random touches. How she’d naturally latch onto Nicky’s arm in a crowded space. How her hands seem to always find Nicky. </p><p>She had to stop. It was as simple as that. She wasn’t gay and she’d only really known Nicky for about 48 hours and this wasn’t some cheesy, love at first sight rom com. This was real life and things didn’t happen like that. It was the alcohol, plain and simple.</p><p>Or at least that’s what Lorna told herself.</p><p>She felt the bed dip and Nicky flopped onto it, laying beside her.</p><p>“Food’s here! I ordered the best hangover food in the universe. Trust me, it’s a weird ass combination, but it works every time.”</p><p>Just the thought of food made Lorna groan. </p><p>“I think I’m dying.” Lorna mumbled. “I have alcohol poisoning and I'm literally dying.”</p><p>She heard Nicky chuckle and could basically see it in her head.</p><p>“Well, you did throw up.” Another laugh. “Talk about not being classy.”</p><p>Lorna threw the covers off her head at light speed, mouth hanging open.</p><p>“I did not! I don’t remember that!” Lorna whined, willing herself not to even try to imagine how embarrassing she must’ve been.</p><p>“You did! I would know! I was the one throwin’ Mr. Snuffles out of the line of fire and holding your hair back.” </p><p>Lorna groaned and covered her face. She finally stumbled out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom where she brushed her teeth for a good 5 minutes straight. She still had the blankets wrapped around her shoulders and they dragged behind her like a wedding veil. Once she’d emerged from the bathroom, Nicky was busy setting out quite the breakfast spread on her bed.</p><p>“You don’t look like you’re dying.” Lorna observed, watching as Nicky poured orange juice into a glass.</p><p>“Professional delinquent, remember?” Nicky said with a smirk. “I know how to pace myself.”</p><p>“Well you shoulda paced me!” Lorna whined, sitting on the edge of the bed. ‘Aren’t you ‘posed to be my fairy godmother?”</p><p>Nicky snorted and handed Lorna to glass. “And let you miss out on your first ever hangover? Not a chance.”</p><p>Nicky was right, it was a pretty weird combination of food for breakfast. Eggs, bananas, and toast made sense. Chicken noodle soup? Not so much. But each bite did seem to help, and soon Lorna had emerged fully from her blanket cocoon and was feeling much better. </p><p>Nicky was in black and grey checkered pajama pants and a black spaghetti strap tank top, and Lorna reminded herself of her under the covers talk with herself. It had to stop. The thoughts and the gazes. Lorna tried to focus on her eggs and physically keep her distance.</p><p>She wasn’t gay.</p><p>“So,” Nicky announced once they’d cleaned up. “Let’s see how we’re doing.”</p><p>Nicky pulled out the list and grabbed a pen off the hotel desk, checking off a few things.</p><p>“We’re three for three so far! Doin’ pretty good!” Nicky said, suddenly looking at Lorna closer.</p><p>“You alright, kid?” She asked.</p><p>Lorna snapped out of it, laughed, blamed it on her headache. She took a shower and emerged ready to roll. </p><p>“Wanna do the fireworks tonight?” Nicky asked, getting her clothes and headed towards the bathroom.</p><p>“Yeah! And can we do the Edge?” Lorna asked with a smile. Nicky groaned, but smiled all the less. </p><p>“You’re dead set on killing me, aren’t ya?” She asked. </p><p>“Don’t worry!” Lorna said in a sing-song voice, flopping onto the bed. “There’ll be railings and stuff! And I’ll be there!”</p><p>Nicky shot her a smile. “Guess I’ll live, then.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>“I can’t believe we’re doing this.” Nicky said for the millionth time as the two waited in line to buy their tickets. Lorna was a ball of excitement, reading off the various facts plastered on signs, just adding to Nicky’s worry.</p><p>“100 stories, Nicky!” Lorna squealed, pointing to the sign. “<em> And </em> a glass floor.”</p><p>“Who ever thought a glass floor would be a good idea?” Nicky complained as they reached the desk.’</p><p>“It’s not all glass! Just some places. You can stand on the non-glass areas.”</p><p>“Ah, yes, the non-glass areas 1,000 feet in the sky. How comforting.”</p><p>Tickets purchased, the two joined a group of tourists and locals alike into a huge elevator. Even though they were sandwiched together, Lorna tried to keep her distance. It was hard. Nicky was nervous about the heights and Lorna wanted nothing more than to comfort her. Take her hand or hold onto her arm. Give her a hug. Anything.</p><p>The elevator shot up and Lorna gave the taller girl a smirk.</p><p>“What happened to badass Nicky, huh?”</p><p>Nicky snorted laughter and tried to avoid the window in the elevator. </p><p>“She left the building long ago.”</p><p>They finally reached the 100th floor and everyone filed off, oohing and aahing at the sights.</p><p>The observation deck was in the shape of a triangle. In the middle of the floor was a smaller triangle that was see through. Currently two kids were standing over it, stomping on it and shrieking. </p><p>“Jesus Christ.” Nicky mumbled, causing Lorna to giggle.</p><p>The view was amazing, as expected. New York city laid out before them in all its glory. Lorna walked across the deck, right up to the glass barrier separating her from a 1,000 foot fall.</p><p>It was unreal being so high up and Lorna suddenly understood why Nicky was so freaked out. But the view made it worth it. Lorna looked back and tried not to laugh at the fact that Nicky hadn’t moved from her spot by the elevator doors. Lorna wondered back to her, sidestepping the glass floor part that the children were intent on shattering.</p><p>“You at least gonna come out a little?” Lorna asked with a smile. “Just one peek? You bought tickets, after all.”</p><p>“Marka’s money, not mine.” Nicky said quickly. “I’m perfectly content right here.”</p><p>“Marka?” Lorna asked, raising an eyebrow. “Is that your sister?”</p><p>Nicky laughed at that, leaning against the building and looking out over the massive city. “Nah, my mom. But she doesn’t deserve the title, so she doesn’t get it.”</p><p>Nicky sat down with her back against the building. Lorna followed suit and the two sat quietly, surrounded by a never ending backdrop of buildings and lights and lives.</p><p>“Marka brought me here once.” Nicky suddenly said. Lorna turned to look at her.</p><p>“Up here?”</p><p>Nicky nodded, shaking her head angrily at the memory.</p><p>“She hadn’t planned on it, of course. She’d only come here to drop me off at my dad’s, but he was running late. We were waiting in the lobby of his place when the receptionist suggested my mom take me to see the sights. She didn’t want to, obviously. But she didn’t want to seem like a bad mother in front of this random woman, so she did it.”</p><p>“She complained the whole time and I remember just shutting down. I couldn’t understand why she hated spending time with me and stuff, ya know? I was what, 8,9? The fuck did I do?”</p><p>Nicky's voice was getting strained and she looked away, staring at some place far off into the city.</p><p>“We got up here and Marka was fuckin’ around on her pager the entire time. I thought it was so cool up here. I kept dragging her to the glass, pointing out all the buildings and shit. Eventually I turn around and she’s just gone. She fuckin’ up and left and forgot to take me with her.”</p><p>Lorna’s eyes went wide and she broke her own rule, broke it the second she saw the tears glistening in Nicky’s eyes. She grabbed Nicky’s arm and snuggled closer to her.</p><p>“I'm so sorry, Nicky. That musta been so scary.”</p><p>Nicky laughed and shook her head, angrily wiping her eyes.</p><p>“I looked everywhere for her. Got it in my head that maybe she somehow fell over the edge. I was hysterical. I was in the lobby, cryin’ my fuckin’ eyes out trying to tell the cops my name and shit, and in she strolls, all apologies and sweet smiles. She grabbed my arm and took me to my dad’s like nothing happened. Never mentioned it, either.”</p><p>It was quiet and Lorna was at a complete loss of words. Nicky’s mom was fucking awful and it made Lorna’s heart hurt so bad. Nicky didn’t deserve that, not at all. Nicky was so kind and had a heart of gold. Lorna looked out over the observation deck, imagining a pint sized Nicky, all wild curls and big brown eyes. She imagined the panic. The fear of thinking her mom fell off. The absolute blow when her mom did show up, only to never mention it. Brush it off like it was nothing.</p><p>“What a bitch.” Lorna finally said, causing Nicky to laugh. The moment felt lighter, but Lorna still held onto Nicky’s arm and Nicky was holding onto her, too.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Nicky.” Lorna said again, wishing she could take the pain away. </p><p>“Hey, hey, let’s not ruin the day, alright?” Nicky said, rising to her feet with a smile. “We have fireworks to look forward to.”</p><p>Lorna stood up, too. She released Nicky’s arm and suddenly turned to her, wide eyed.</p><p>“Nicky, it’s May!” She announced like it was the world’s greatest revelation.</p><p>“Wow!” Nicky said, watching the stream of people loading onto the elevator. “No shit?”</p><p>Lorna glanced over the city one last time before joining Nicky on the elevator.</p><p>“Where are we going to get fireworks in May? They’re kinda a seasonal thing, ain’t they?”</p><p>The elevator shot down and Nicky scoffed. “Kid, you can get anything in New York.”</p><p> </p><p>The two walked the streets looking for fireworks, and Nicky made the monumental mistake of mentioning that she’d never seen <em> West Side Story </em> , which just so happened to be Lorna’s favorite movie of <em> all </em> time. So as they popped into random stores in search of fireworks, Lorna talked Nicky’s ear off about the plot and characters and songs and even sang “One Hand, One Heart” much to the dismay of the elderly man at the register of the festival shop they were in.</p><p>By the time they found fireworks in a shop in Lower Manhattan, Nicky could pretty much recite the movie word for word. The sun had set and Lorna wondered where, exactly, they were going to set off fireworks in the middle of the city. Wasn’t that illegal? They got in a cab, arms weighed down with bags of sprinklers, pop its, and Roman candles, and Nicky gave the man an address.</p><p>“Nicky.” Lorna whispered, eyeing the cabby with suspicion. “What if he turns us in?”</p><p>Nicky laughed, earning a swat to the shoulder. “For what? Having bags?”</p><p>“Fireworks!” Lorna corrected, holding the bags tighter to herself.</p><p>“Fireworks aren’t illegal.” Nicky informed, rolling her eyes. “And how can he see through the bags? If he has x-ray vision, I’m next in line for that shit.” Nicky shot a glance at Lorna’s clothes and smirked.</p><p>Lorna swatted her again and then caught sight of where they were. They’d gone away from the hustle and bustle and were now in some sort of subdivision of massive mansions. The cab stopped in front of one with a fountain out front and, when Lorna gave Nicky an apprehensive glance, she received a nod and smile.</p><p>The cab left them out front of the massive house.</p><p>“Where are we?” Lorna asked, looking at the place in awe.</p><p>“One of my dad’s old places. No idea who’s there now.” Nicky answered, leading the way to a sort of path that snaked down beside the house.</p><p>“What are we doing? What if they see us?” Lorna shot off questions, all the while keeping an eye on the house. It looked dark inside and she didn’t see any cars, so that was good.</p><p>“Relax, will ya?” Nicky said, glancing back at Lorna. “There’s a private beach down this way. It’s far enough away that no one’ll hear anything.”</p><p>Nicky seemed to know the path well. Lorna followed behind, trying not to be creeped out by the dark. The path ran alongside different mansions before dipping into a small wooded area. Just before Lorna was about to suggest they turn back, they broke through a line of trees and walked straight onto a beach.</p><p>The water was nothing but black ripples and the sandy shore seemed to go miles in either direction. It was beautiful. It was also obvious that people still used the place, seeing as though there were tiki torches sticking out of the sand in various places and discarded beer cans near a bench.</p><p>“Here,” Nicky said, kicking off her shoes and handing Lorna her bag of fireworks. “I’m gonna go light the torches so we can see.”</p><p>Lorna followed Nicky’s suit with her shoes and then got to work with the fireworks. She brought them all to a picnic table and spread them out. They hadn’t gotten any big ones. Just small ones that couldn’t be seen from miles away and get them into trouble.</p><p>Lorna couldn’t stop smiling. She was on a private beach with Nicky, the warm summer air in her hair. She could hear the soothing sound of the waves and feel the cool sand between her toes. She watched Nicky get on her tippy toes and light the torches with her lighter.</p><p>She was so thankful for this trip. She still didn’t know why, exactly, Nicky was doing all of this for a random girl that sat behind her in Political Studies. It really didn’t make any sense. But Nicky seemed to be having a lot of fun, too, so Lorna guessed that was all that mattered.</p><p>Nicky returned and grabbed a box of pop its.</p><p>“Ehh, I guess these won’t really work in the sand, will they?”</p><p>Lorna shrugged and ripped open a box of sprinklers.</p><p>“Here!” She said, holding out her sprinkler to Nicky with a big grin. “Light me up!”</p><p>Nicky smiled even wider and obliged, using her lighter to set the stick ablaze. Lorna shrieked at the reds and blues and pinks popping away and ran towards the water. Nicky lit one for herself and followed suit. Soon the two were chasing each other around the moonlit beach, leaving behind colorful trails of smoke. It was exhilarating in every sense of the word. Greens and yellows and purples lit up their faces and their laughter bounced off the dark waves.</p><p>Lorna tried to draw doodles in the night sky with her sparklers, drawing hearts and their names. They went through half of the sprinklers and then moved on to the Roman candles.</p><p>“I’m so not doin’ that, Nichols.” Lorna said with a shake of her head. “I need both my arms, thank ya very much.”</p><p>“Aw, c’mon.” Nicky teased, tearing open the firework. “I thought you were a badass, huh?”</p><p>“There’s a difference between bein’ a badass and a <em> dumbass </em>.” Lorna stated, arms crossed.</p><p>“An oh so fine line.” Nicky responded, her usual smirk gracing her lips. </p><p>Nevertheless, Lorna followed Nicky out by the water. They stood where the surf met the sand, the cool night water washing up over their toes.</p><p>Lorna handed Nicky the lighter and the anticipation was almost too much. Lorna covered her ears and waited for Nicky’s hand to blow off, but that’s not what happened. A pop of color shot out from the tube and went soaring into the sky. It exploded in a burst of colors, painting the dark ocean. It was unlike anything Lorna has ever seen.</p><p>“Do another one!” Lorna cheered, racing back to the table to grab some more. Nicky did a few more, all as beautiful as the first, and, finally, Lorna got up the courage to do one.</p><p>“What if it, like, goes sideways and blows up a house? Or a tree? Or your face?” Lorna rambled as Nicky handed her the tube.</p><p>“Then I’d sue you.” Nicky simply stated, stepping over to stand behind Lorna.</p><p>She guided Lorna arms up and skyward, and Lorna could barely breathe at how close they were standing. She wasn’t drunk this time and her brain was functioning perfectly and so was her body, it seemed, because every fiber seemed to light on fire at the feeling of Nicky pressed against her back.</p><p>“Hellooo?” Nicky called out, waving the lighter in Lorna’s general direction. “Ya ready?”</p><p>Lorna snapped out of it and focused on the moonlit sky before them.</p><p>“U-Uh, yeah! Fire away!”</p><p>Nicky lit the fuse and Lorna waited with bated breath as it slowly dwindled to the quick. Suddenly there was a pop and dazzling colors shot out, raining down over the inky water.</p><p>Lorna quickly stepped forward and away from Nicky, trying to calm down. She bent down and combed through the water, pretending to look for shells all the while thanking God that it was dark and Nicky couldn’t see her blushing.</p><p>“I think we’ve got a few sprinklers left.” Nicky called over from the picnic table. Lorna stood up with a smile. She loved the sprinklers.</p><p>They started up a game of charades of sorts. Lorna sat in the sand and watched Nicky try to write out phrases or draw something with the colorful sparkles and she had to try to guess what it was.</p><p>Nicky went a few rounds, Lorna finally winning when Nicky tried in vain to write out the entirety of some dumb eggplant joke and Lorna caught on right away.</p><p>They traded places and Lorna started out with a horrible attempt at drawing Mr. Snuffles that left both girls in tears. Lorna could hardly pay attention to the game. Her eyes were on Nicky and Nicky only, charades be damned. The curly headed girl was laughing, throwing her head back with a huge smile. The colors from Lorna’s sprinkler reflected off those big brown eyes and made Lorna’s heart go crazy.</p><p>She had an idea.</p><p>Working fast in fear that the sprinkler would run out or the smoke would dissipate before Nicky got through reading, Lorna was hopping around, writing the letters quickly and in big, arching loops. She tried not to think, because if she stopped to think she’d freak out and it would be over. She just <em> did </em>. Things ran through her mind. Things like Nicky’s smile and holding her hand and arguing about Mr. Snuffles and waking up to seeing a mess of curls. Lorna paused after the last word, her heart in her throat.</p><p>The quickly fading smoke read: “Kiss me.”</p><p>Nicky stood up and practically ran over, their lips crashing together before Lorna could even register what was happening. Nicky’s lips were warm and she was smiling and Lorna couldn’t believe this was happening. She couldn’t believe she was kissing someone, kissing a girl, kissing <em> Nicky, </em> and the feelings it stirred inside her. They deepened the kiss and Nicky pulled her closer, as close as they could get, until, that is, Nicky yelped and Lorna’s eyes flew open to see <em> both </em> of their shirts starting to catch fire.</p><p>They’d sandwiched the still going sparkler between them.</p><p>“Jesus!” Nicky exclaimed, slipping Lorna’s shirt off with no hesitation before doing the same to her own. Lorna joined her in stomping out the small flame, trying to grasp the fact that she’d kissed Nicky and almost caught on fire all within the span of 20 seconds.</p><p>“Well,” Nicky said once the flames were put out. “There are easier ways to get me naked, Morello.”</p><p>Lorna blushed furiously and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to cover herself. Nicky merely smirked.</p><p>“Hey,” Nicky said, taking a step closer. “Remember what number six is on your list?”</p><p>She didn’t remember exactly, but she had a pretty good idea.</p><p>“Here?” Lorna asked, glancing around. “What if someone sees us?”</p><p>Nicky raised an eyebrow. “Would you rather do it on the roof of our hotel with all of New York looking at you?”</p><p>Lorna really hadn’t thought the whole skinny dipping thing through.</p><p>“You gotta turn around.” Lorna ordered, arms tightening across her chest. “I’ll tell you when I’m in the water, then you can go.”</p><p>“Oh, so I can’t watch you but you can watch me?” Nicky asked with a smirk. Lorna instantly turned as red as a tomato. </p><p>“I-I”m not gonna be lookin’! I’ll put my head underwater or something.” Lorna argued, reaching down and pulling off her socks. “Now turn around!” </p><p>Nicky raised her hands in surrender and turned around. Once she was certain Nicky wasn’t looking, Lorna quickly stripped, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She couldn’t stop thinking about the feeling of Nicky’s lips on hers. And now here she was, completely naked. <em> Nicky </em>was going to be completely naked.</p><p>Lorna decided she’d better get into the water immediately before she had a heart attack.</p><p>It was weird being naked in such a big body of water. Lorna didn’t venture too far out into the chilly water, but went far enough so that she could still feel the bottom yet be completely covered.</p><p>“Okay! You can go!” Lorna called back. As soon as she saw Nicky start to unbutton her pants, Lorna took a deep breath and plunged into the water.</p><p>She couldn’t believe this was happening. She’d kissed Nicky. And not only that, Nicky seemed to want it, too. Lorna squeezed her eyes shut tighter, her lungs starting to burn.</p><p>But she wasn’t gay. She’d never looked at another girl in that way until this trip. It was all so confusing and made Lorna’s head spin. All she knew was that she liked kissing Nicky and definitely wanted to do it again. And again. And <em> again </em>.</p><p>Lorna couldn't hold her breath anymore, so she turned away from the beach and came back up.</p><p>“There you are.” Nicky said from behind her. Lorna turned around and saw Nicky swimming toward her. The water was pitch black, so all Lorna could see was Nicky’s head and arms. “I guess doin’ this at night isn’t the smartest. What’s the fun in it when you can’t see under the wa-”</p><p>Lorna silenced the other girl with a splash and a string of embarrassed squeaking. Nicky laughed and splashed her back, commencing the splash war to end all splash wars.</p><p>The head dunking and splish splashing only came to a stop when Lorna came up for air only to have her breath taken away yet again. Nicky kissed her and Lorna reciprocated embarrassingly fast. Nicky put a hand on the small of her back, sending a shiver up Lorna’s spine that had nothing to do with the cold water. Lorna wrapped her arms around Nicky’s neck as the kiss got more intense. Suddenly Lorna was all too aware that she was naked, that <em> Nicky </em> was naked, and things were moving fast.</p><p>Lorna pulled away and Nicky looked concerned.</p><p>“You okay, kid? Something wrong?”</p><p>Lorna shook her head, studying Nicky’s face in the moonlight. </p><p>“Just tired. And cold!” She added with a chuckle, rubbing her arms. </p><p>“Yeah, it is pretty chilly out here. How ‘bout we head back and get something to eat?”</p><p>Lorna nodded at that and they repeated their routine from before of turning around while the other one got dressed. Lorna had a huge smile on her face as she kicked on her shoes and helped Nicky gather up and throw away their firework debris. It had definitely been a night to remember.</p><p>“Nicky?” Lorna asked as they sat on the sidewalk. They’d walked down the road to find a phone booth and were now stuck waiting for a cab.</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“If you could have anything in the world, what would you have?”</p><p>“The last thing on your list.”</p><p>“What is that? Wasn’t that skinny dipping?”</p><p>“Nah, it’s something I added.”</p><p>“Well, what is it?”</p><p>Nicky smiled and reached over, taking Lorna’s hand and intertwining their fingers.</p><p>“You’ll have to wait and find out.”</p><p>Once they got back to the hotel, they ordered cheeseburgers and decided to eat them on the roof in their pajamas. They talked until well into the morning hours, about everything in the entire world except for the kiss. The <em> kisses </em>. Plural. Soon the sun was rising, turning the sky into the color of cotton candy, and Lorna was trying hard to keep her eyes open long enough to appreciate it. They headed back to their room and Lorna stood awkwardly at the foot of Nicky’s bed like a kid waiting for permission. Nicky merely rolled her eyes and crawled over to Lorna, taking the other girl’s hands and pulling her onto the bed. </p><p>“C’mon, ya dork.” Nick said, throwing the covers over them. “You gotta be my little spoon.”</p><p>Lorna snuggled into Nicky and hummed contently, her last thoughts being about salty sea kisses and warm brown eyes.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Golden</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Lorna woke up with a feeling of dread. It was their last day in NYC and then it was back to their regular lives. High school graduation and watching her friends ship off to better lives. Having to break the news to her dad and Franny that she didn’t, in fact, get accepted anywhere. That she wasn’t as smart as they thought. She was a disappointment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna tried not to think about it. They weren’t leaving until tonight, so they still had the whole day to enjoy. Well, not the whole day. Turning over to see the clock, Lorna saw that it was well past 2 in the afternoon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was quite the obstacle untangling herself from the covers (and Nicky) without waking the other girl. But she managed to do so and took a shower before calling Franny. She let her sister know that she’d be home really late tonight and that Piper would drop her off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna gazed out the window at the concrete jungle, wishing they could stay longer. It seemed like everything that happened during the trip was in a bubble. A bubble that would pop once they stepped foot in Litchfield. She was so deep in thought that she didn’t hear Nicky roll out of bed and appear behind her, wrapping her in a hug.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Last day, huh?” Nicky said, as if reading her mind. Lorna sighed and closed her eyes, leaning back against Nicky.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t wanna leave.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of Lorna’s head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’ll be okay, kid.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna wasn’t convinced.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But things’ll be different once we get back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They don’t have to be.” Nicky said, her voice serious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna turned to her at that, reaching up and planting a soft kiss on her mouth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They didn’t have many plans for the last day. The only thing left on the list (besides Nicky’s secret addition) was to eat at a fancy restaurant, which seemed a little anticlimactic after everything they’d done. But Lorna was excited for it. She’d packed her favorite dress and couldn’t wait to get all dolled up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a shower, Nicky sat on the bed, flipping through brochures that they’d gotten from the hotel lobby. She was trying to find some place she’d been to before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was so awesome.” Nicky said, picking another brochure off the pile. “I know you’ll love it. It’s a rooftop cinema type thing. Basically all these chairs are set up on a roof and they have a screen that plays movies. I went there my junior year with Boo and Alex.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alex?” Lorna asked, taking a brochure to look through. “Is that your friend that’s goin’ to college?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky nodded with a smile. “Yeah, she’s smart as hell. We’ve been friends since third grade.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna smiled at that and helped Nicky leaf through the pamphlets, searching for any mention of a rooftop cinema. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is ridiculous!” Nicky sighed, rubbing her eyes. “I wish I could call Alex, but I have no idea how to reach her. I could always try Boo. Maybe she’ll remember the name of it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky hopped off the bed and over to the phone, dialing her friend’s number.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Watching a movie on a roof seemed really fun, and Lorna hoped this Boo girl remembered the name of the place. They were in New York City, after all. That was like literally trying to find a needle in a haystack.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Lorna glanced at Nicky and Nicky handed her the phone. “Here, lemme go see what they want.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna held the phone awkwardly, not really sure what to say to Boo.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nichols?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, she had to go get the door.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A pause. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lorna Morello?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna could hear the smirk in her voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Boo suddenly laughed and Lorna had to hold the phone out from her ear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Holy shit! Did she fuck you yet?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna’s eyes went wide and she had no idea what to say.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“W-What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, come on, Morello. Please tell me you don’t think she went up there with you just for shits and giggles.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lorna shot back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The list!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was that talk of a list again. Lorna remembered Boo badgering Nicky about it after school.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What list? You mean our bucket list? How do you even kno-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck no. Our Bang-Off list! Obviously she didn’t tell you about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jesus. Basically Nichols and I made a list of girls we wanted to fuck before graduation. You’re worth a shit ton of point because, hello, you’re as straight as they come. Damn, looks like she beat me aft-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna hung up immediately. Her head was spinning and she couldn’t see straight. Was Boo telling the truth? She seemed like the type of person that joked around a lot. But it just made too much sense. Why else would Nicky randomly decide to go on this trip with her? It was her idea, after all. And what about that secret last thing that Nicky added to the list? What if it was just to get into her pants?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna couldn’t think. She didn’t even want to begin to imagine that everything that happened meant nothing to Nicky. It was all too much. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They just wanted to remind us of our check out time. He said tha-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna couldn’t stop the tears. They flowed freely down her cheeks and she needed to get out of the room, but Nicky appeared in front of her in lightning speed, eyes wide with concern.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jesus, Lorna, what’s wrong? What happened?” Nicky asked, reaching out to wipe away Lorna’s tears. Lorna slapped her hand away and stormed past the other girl, headed to the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lorna!” Nicky exclaimed, completely at a loss. “Where are you going? What the fuck happened?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna spun on her heels, fists balled and eyes wet with tears.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck you, Nicky.” She spat. “It really didn’t mean anything, did it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” Nicky asked, running a hand through her curls. She looked utterly confused and it just made Lorna all the more mad.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are kisses worth any points?” Lorna asked, wiping her eyes. “Or do you just gotta fuck me to win?’</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Understanding washed over Nicky’s face as she glanced at the phone and then back to Lorna.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Christ, Lorna. This has nothing to do with that stupid list! I don’t know what Boo told yo-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t believe this!” Lorna cried, pacing around. Nicky looked like she wanted to reach out to her, calm her down, but decided against it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Flashes went through Lorna’s mind. Nicky snapping pictures of her next to that dumb meerkat. Fireworks on the beach and kisses that tasted like the ocean. Playing with the kitties in the cat café. Dancing so close she could feel Nicky’s heartbeat. Staying up all night talking. That smile that was so fucking beautiful.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And it all meant nothing. It was just some sort of game. A challenge.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck you!” Lorna yelled again, heart ripping into shreds.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lorna, you have to let me explain, okay? Calm down and le-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna had no intentions of letting Nicky explain. Of sitting around listening to Nicky try to scrape together some lie that would make everything okay. She stormed out of the hotel room and headed straight for the stairs, taking them down two at a time. She heard Nicky call out for her, but she didn’t slow. She ran through the lobby and out into the congested New York sidewalk. Her vision was blurred by tears and she hadn’t even grabbed her damn shoes, but she didn’t care. Lorna ran, shouldering past strangers and taking random turns. She didn’t have a clue where she was going.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After running for a good ten minutes, she finally stopped. Lorna found herself right near that art exhibit where they’d gotten Mr. Snuffles. The very thought made Lorna tear up again, but she shook her head angrily. Fuck Nicky.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna wandered over to the meerkat statue and sat down beside it. Her socks were soaked from when she stepped in an unknown liquid to avoid sending an old man crashing to the ground. With a sigh, Lorna pulled her knees to her chest and tried hard not to cry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky had to be the world’s greatest actress, because Lorna could have sworn Nicky was feeling the exact same thing she was. That connection between them that Lorna couldn’t put into words. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna always got attached too fast. The smallest crush turned into something massive and it was always her downfall. She always ended up getting hurt. She felt stupid for falling for Nicky Nichols. Clearly it was just a game. She imagined how dumb she must’ve looked, writing “kiss me” on the beach and hanging all over her like a lovesick idiot. It had only been three days and look at her. It was pathetic. All the while Nicky was just adding up points. Itching to get her into bed and call up Boo to brag. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna didn’t know how long she’d been sitting by the statues. She only got up once when a couple wanted to take a picture of them with their kids. The little boy called them rats and Lorna almost laughed, but then she remembered Nicky calling them the exact same thing and felt like throwing up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her stomach lurched when she realized she really didn’t know where she was. She hadn’t exactly been taking notes when she ran the streets in tears. She had no money, no shoes, and no way to get into contact with anyone. She couldn’t even find a payphone and call Franny, spill it all and beg her to come get her, because she didn’t have any change. Running off hadn’t been the smartest, but it was all she could think of to do. There was no way she was going to stick around and listen to Nicky try to fix it. She knew if she looked into those brown eyes long enough, she’d believe anything.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lorna!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna shot to her feet and turned to see Nicky.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, great.” Lorna said, tuning on her heels. Nicky was fast to get to her side and held out something she was holding. It was Lorna’s shoes. She’d brought Lorna’s shoes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“At least put on your damn shoes.” Nicky said. Her face was clouded by all sorts of emotions. Panic, worry, confusion, relief. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna snatched the shoes and put them on, quickly continuing her walk. Nicky matched her stride and the two walked the crowded streets in silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look, Lorna,” Nicky said, trying to break the silence, but Lorna put up her hand. Nope. Not today. Lorna just wanted to get back to the hotel and then get home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Listen!” Nicky said, grabbing both Lorna’s shoulders and turning the girl to face her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This trip had nothing to do with that stupid list, okay? Yes, the list exists. Yes, your name is on it. But this has nothing to do with that!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna tried to get away, but Nicky kept going.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If the whole point of this trip was to have sex with you, why didn’t I do it last night, when you were literally in the same bed as me? Or when you were drunk out of your mind? Or how about when you were literally fucking naked in front of me and kissing me, huh? Think about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky released her shoulders and they continued their walk. Lorna blinked away tears and avoided looking at Nicky because it made sense. Nicky had had plenty of opportunities. Everything was a mess and Lorna had no idea what to believe. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They made it back to the hotel, but Lorna didn’t go outside. She sat down on the steps and Nicky followed suit. Lorna could see Nicky was itching to say more. To explain and make it better.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just..” Lorna started, picking at a rip in her shorts. “I just like you a lot, Nicky. A whole lot. And when I thought that it all meant nothing to you. That it was just a game. Nicky, it fuckin’ hurt.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, baby.” The endearment just seemed to just slip out, and it made Lorna’s heart skip a beat. “I know what it looked like, and I’m sorry. You had every right to freak out. It looked really fucked up. I’m really sorry, Lorna.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They sat quietly as the world walked past them. Lorna had no idea what time it was, but it made her sad they pretty much wasted their last day in this mess. Lorna hugged Nicky tightly and Nicky hugged back, peppering the brunette’s head and face in kisses.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.” Lorna whispered, shaking her head. “I should’ve let you explain. I really shouldn’t have run off l-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, baby.” Nicky said, holding her tighter. “It’s all over now, ‘kay? We’re good.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re good?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Golden.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They didn’t have time for a lot of things, but they did have time to finish the list. They headed up to the room and Lorna barricaded the bathroom, taking forever to get ready. She wanted to look perfect, especially after the disaster that the day had been. Getting all made up always did make her feel better.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna used the hotel’s curling iron to touch up on her curls and made sure her makeup was flawless. The dress she brought was the same one she’d worn to both Junior and Senior prom, but it was the only fancy type dress she had and she loved the way she looked in it. It was a black dress with an adorable silver bow around the waist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna walked out of the bathroom to see Nicky on the phone, making some sort of reservations. She looked stunning. She wore a cute red and black plaid skirt and a black sleeveless shirt.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I never pegged you as a skirt girl.” Lorna said, unable to tear her eyes away from how the skirt hugged all of Nicky’s curves in just the right places.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky turned and paused, looking Lorna up and down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck, Lorna.” She said, smiling from ear to ear. “You look  beautiful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna tried to fight the blush that crept across her cheeks and busied herself with putting on her shoes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You look amazing, Nicky!” Lorna said, unable to wipe the smile off her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky smirked and straightened out her skirt. “I do love a good skirt.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two left the hotel and walked hand in hand to the place that Nicky had made reservations at. It was an upscale place called Paterro’s and Lorna felt a bit out of place, like she had when they’d first walked into their hotel. It was like walking into a place where you didn’t really belong and everything was fragile and could fall apart if you breathed on it the wrong way. But Lorna held her head high and couldn’t stop smiling because she had Nicky and tonight she felt like a princess. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The waiter led them through a fancy dining area and to table in the back. There was a heart shaped balloon tied to one of the chairs and a bouquet of beautiful flowers. Lorna was at a loss for words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my God, Nicky!” She squealed, picking up the bouquet. “How’d you have time to do all this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky smiled and took her seat. “You take roughly 5 hours in the bathroom, you know that, don’t ya?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna shot her a look, but took her seat with a bright smile. She couldn’t believe Nicky did all of this. The reservation, the balloon, the flowers. It was like Lorna was the main character in one of those rom coms she loved dearly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is all so sweet, Nicky.” Lorna said, beaming. She truly felt like a princess.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Eyy, it’s nothing, kid.” Nicky said sheepishly. “Let’s order!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They ordered fancy dishes they couldn’t pronounce and talked the night away. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was out of this world. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It started innocently enough.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna announced that she didn’t like tomatoes, therefore she deposited the cherry tomatoes that came with her food onto Nicky’s plate. Nicky didn’t want them, either, so they landed back on Lorna’s plate. Lorna insisted that tomatoes were the bane of her existence and that they really did belong on Nicky’s plate. Nicky politely informed her that if the tomatoes  so much as passed the unmarked barrier to her side of the table, they were being thrown back. One thing led to another and soon tomatoes were flying, followed by various other foods. Onlookers watched in horror and it dissolved into a full on food fight, the two girls giggling like mad and chunking hunks of bread and one another. Lorna made sure to snag her balloon and Nicky grabbed the flowers as they were escorted out, huge grins on their faces.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They raced through the New York streets hand in hand, heart balloon trailing behind them. Lorna had never felt so alive. Every day with Nicky was like an adventure and she was pretty sure she’d never smiled so much in her life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They finally stopped to catch their breath on a bridge that overlooked the water.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, uh,” Nicky began, running a hand through her curls. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to ask you this at the restaurant, but then you decided to pelt me with tomatoes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did not!” Lorna argued, scrunching up her nose. “You threw the first one!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That might be so, but you’re the one that got the other food groups involved.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They laughed and then Nicky was digging in her pocket producing a box. Inside was a thin necklace with a rose gold heart in the middle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will you be my girlfriend?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was the question that Lorna had spent countless nights daydreaming of. Staring at her bedroom ceiling and imagining the handsome boy in her drama class spelling out the question with rose petals. She dreamed of being asked in the middle of a crowd, everyone oohing and ahhing at the perfect couple.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She’d never in her wildest dreams imagined she’d be asked on a bridge in the middle of New York City after being kicked out of a restaurant. She’d never thought a girl would be the one asking her. A girl with perfect curls and a wild laugh and a smile that Lorna never wanted to see disappear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, Nicky! Of course!” Lorna said through tears, crashing into the other girl with a tight hug. The two stumbled back and Nicky laughed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good! I don’t think I’d trust anyone else to co-parent Mr. Snuffles with me, ya know? It takes a special someone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lorna sniffled and pulled back, letting Nicky put the necklace on her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On the walk back to the hotel to start packing, Lorna stopped and turned to Nicky.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, what did you put on the list?” Lorna asked, eyebrow raised. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nicky pulled her close and kissed her under the streetlamp like something straight out of a movie. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Take a guess, kid.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sooo yeah, thanks for reading! I know it's really cheesy and just like a 'love at first sight' rom com or something, but ehhh. Hopefully it wasn't too bad!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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